Contributor

The Seton Hill men’s and women’s track teams are off to a strong start as they gear up for the rest of the season according to head coach Tim Creamer.  Under the guidance Creamer, both teams are poised to contend for conference championships.

“We started off strong and put ourselves in a good position to be recognized as one of the top teams in the conference,” said Creamer.

During their spring break trip to the Coastal Carolina Invitational, the team set six school records and had over 20 qualifiers for conferences between men and women.  There were also two men and one woman who achieved NCAA Division II provisional qualifying marks during the invitational: sophomore Calsie Boyd in the high jump, red-shirt freshman Tyler McIntosh in the high jump and freshman Duane Parker in the triple jump.  Despite this early success, however, Creamer remains guarded, saying “We can’t settle for just doing well in one meet, but have to strive to get better every meet so we can get conference championships on both the men’s and women’s side.”

On the men’s side, talent abounds with standouts like senior Josh Wilks, a two time All-American in the 800m and junior Sean Randall who runs the 200m, 400m and both the 4×100 and 4x400m relays.

Additionally, Duane Parker (200m, 400m, long jump, triple jump), red-shirt freshman Jonathan Feagin (100m, 200m) and junior Nick Spino (110 and 400m hurdles) all show great promise for this season according to Creamer.

For the women, sophomore Chelsea Cavanaugh is expected to make strong showings in the 200m, 400m, and the 4×100 and 4x400m relays, as well as senior Stephanie Isacco in the 400m and 800m and senior Olivia Richardson in the 100m and 200m.  In the field, junior Amanda Ponsonby (pole vault) and Calsie Boyd (long, triple and high jump) are poised to be strong contenders in the conference.

With most of their season still to come, the mood is positive among the athletes.  Junior Sean Randall said, “We should have a good season.  There have been a couple of injuries, but as long as everyone stays healthy and we work hard we should have a good shot at the championship.”  Although Creamer is self-admittedly “not a big prediction guy,” he seems to share this optimistic sentiment. “I just hope we keep improving and getting better week to week, and keep adding names to the national qualifying list.”

Sports Editor

After an influx of head-shots in the National Hockey League (NHL) in recent seasons, the league implemented Rule 48 this past offseason to better protect their players.  The rule, which went into effect this season, reads:

“48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact is not permitted.”

Under the new rule, the NHL has handed down fourteen suspensions this season – up from eight last season.  However, concussions in the league have doubled.  It seems as though supplemental discipline has been anything but effective.

Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke was suspended for four games after a hit to Columbus’ Fedor Tyutin.  Tyutin saw Cooke coming and turned his back to him, but Cooke was still suspended.  Yes, as a Penguins fan I was annoyed.  However, it was a “blindside” hit whether Tyutin turned his back or not.

But wait.  Washington’s David Steckel knocked a shoulder into the side of Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby’s head and was not even assessed a penalty during the game.  Crosby appeared unharmed afterward and played the next game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman slammed Crosby’s head into the glass at the Consol Energy Center.  Crosby hasn’t played since January 5 with a concussion.  However, the league did not penalize Hedman.

Then came the melee on Long Island.  Islanders Trevor Gillies and Matt Martin and Penguin Eric Godard were suspended for their parts in the event.  The league slapped Godard with ten games, Gillies with nine, and Martin received four.  From those numbers, it would appear Godard had committed the most egregious crime, yes?

No.  Godard left the bench to protect his goaltender, Brent Johnson, from an attack by Michael Haley.  However, rule 70.1 – leaving the bench – is the only rule in the NHL rulebook that clearly states a minimum suspension for a penalty.

Gillies bashed his elbow into Eric Tangradi’s face.  With Tangradi on the ground, Gillies continued to punch his head before officials pulled Gillies off.  Gillies then stood above Tangradi from the runway and taunted him while Tangradi was attended to by a Penguins trainer.

The nine game suspension was immediately followed up by a ten game suspension for another head-shot to Minnesota’s Cal Clutterbuck.  But yes, these suspensions are doing their job.

Then comes the question of intent.  Did the player mean to hurt someone?

According to Boston Bruins captain – and 6’9” behemoth – Zdeno Chara, no.  Chara never meant to end Max Pacioretty’s season with a hit that leveled Pacioretty into the dividing glass between the Boston and Montreal benches.  Pacioretty, 22, suffered a severe concussion and a fractured vertebra in the hit.  If it does not heal perfectly, he might never play hockey again.

Chara said, “I know deep down I didn’t do it intentionally. I said it before, it’s not my style. I never try to hurt anybody. I play physical, I play hard, but that’s not what I intended to do.”

But the problem here is a reckless, dangerous hit.  Intentional or not, Pacioretty’s career is in danger.  Chara was assessed a game misconduct as well as an interference major.  The NHL, however, did not see fit to any supplemental discipline for Chara; no fines, no suspension.

An eerily similar hit occurred only three days later in Columbus as the Kings visited the Blue Jackets.  R.J. Umberger checked Kings forwards Drew Doughty into the glass near the Jackets bench.  Doughty was unharmed, but the fact remains that the hit could have gone horrifically wrong.

The NHL needs to better protect their players.  Rule 48 is a great start, but the lack of supplemental discipline for hits because of the lack of intent is a startling trend.

What if more hits like this occur because “he didn’t get in trouble”?  Pacioretty even said, “I’m not mad for myself, I’m mad because if other players see a hit like that and think it’s okay — they won’t be suspended — then other players will get hurt like I got hurt …”

What if youth hockey players start thinking, “Well the pros can do it, why can’t I?”  This isn’t a problem for the NHL alone – it’s a problem for hockey as a whole and it needs to end.

Perhaps minimum suspensions could help the cause.  Sitting a player down and saying, “You automatically have a two game suspension and your hearing could bring you a few more.”

The general managers are currently involved in meetings discussing these problems.  Penguins’ owner Mario Lemieux pitched an idea to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman regarding team fines for repeat offenders (noting that the Penguins would have been fined $600,000 this season for suspensions.)  The managers have suggested tighter boarding and charging calls to enforce safety and reckless hits.

Regardless of the final decisions, the NHL must make a change.  Hits and fights will always be a part of hockey.  They make hockey…well…hockey.  But the reckless hits and lack of accountability put on the players needs to end for the sake of the players and the sport.

Sports Editor

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby suffered the first concussion of his career in early January after two consecutive hits to the head on January 1 and January 5.  He has not played since.

As of March 15, Crosby has been out of commission for over two months, but still sits sixth in goals overall and twelfth in points.

Not much was heard from Crosby in that time.  He went home to Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia in February to spend some time away from hockey and rest up.  Regarding the break, Crosby told Penguins’ writer Sam Kasan, “It’s not the easiest thing coming in everyday hoping to do something.  It’s great that everyone asks how you’re doing, but it’s a constant reminder of the fact that you’re not playing and you’re injured.

“Sometimes it’s good to get away from that a bit. I had the opportunity to see my parents and hang out with them for a bit. It was more or less to get away from the everyday questions and that kind of thing,” said Crosby.

Not much else was heard concerning Crosby’s condition for the next month.  Head coach Dan Bylsma finally refused to give updates on the star.

Crosby made the internet explode Monday when he took to the ice for the first time since January.  “Sidney Crosby” was trending worldwide on Twitter.  While he only skated for fifteen minutes and worked on some light stick and puck handling, the step is progress in the 23-year-old’s recovery.

When asked about his symptoms in the last few days, Crosby told Penguins’ media relations that “I had some good days here the last few, and was able to get on a bike and exercise a bit. I didn’t have any symptoms while doing that. I was given the opportunity to skate, the doctors said I could give it a try and see how I feel.”

Crosby doesn’t know if he’ll play again this year, however, his health is more important than a speedy return.

Editor-in-Chief

Where Philadelphia’s got Soul, Pittsburgh’s got Power.

The Arena Football League (AFL) has arrived. Consol Energy Center kicked off the first AFL game, featuring a newly formed Pennsylvania rivalry on March 12.

The Pittsburgh Power put up a strong fight but the team’s efforts fell short in overtime, with a final score of 58-52 Philadelphia Soul.

With only four minutes to go, Philadelphia led Pittsburgh 52-42. By the two minute warning, many of the fans had given up hope, but not the Power. By the time the clock reached the final minute of the game, the Power scored, bringing them just three points short of a tie.

The Power went for an onside kick, only to have the Soul repossess the ball.

At this point all hope seemed to be lost. I assumed the Soul would just take a knee and that would be the end of it, but the Power had remaining timeouts which forced the Soul to play out the four downs. And, miraculously, the Power regained control of the ball.

As fans returned to their seats, Pittsburgh attempted two incomplete passes aimed for the end zone. Eventually, the Power reached field goal range, with a whopping three seconds to go on the clock – they scored.

If nothing else, arena football proved to be full of constant action, up to the final second of regulation game play. Unfortunately, the Power did not score during their possession; in fact, the Soul intercepted and scored, effectively ending the game.

Even though the Power lost their opening game, the overall experience and atmosphere was energizing, yet irksome.

While the game was entertaining, it seemed like whoever organized the event didn’t plan it out very well. Videography was choppy, Will Call was a mess, and we didn’t even find out there were programs until after we were seated in this crowded area, elbow-to-elbow.

The Power’s dance team, affectionately named the Sparks, showed adequate entertainment unintentionally when one face planted during their first run onto the field in between plays.

Strangely enough, the videographer kept showing the Sparks dancers climbing over the wall to return to their “caged in” area next to the goal posts.

During half time, the Sparks did a routine with umbrellas, which I’m still confused about. They threw them to the side after a few minutes and danced around a little more. The laser show being projected across the piping along the ceiling was pointless and did I mention speakers covered the scoreboard at the top of the jumbo-Tron? Talk about unorganized.

Decent tickets were too expensive to even consider.

For $140, fans could sit in the majority of the lower sections along the sidelines. For $50, fans could sit in the lower sections diagonal to the end zones and for $35, fans could sit behind the end zones in the lower section. All but four sections in the upper deck were general admission, which seemed to be the best bet. For $20 plus fees and taxes, you could pick your own seat, and considering how many were open, you could find a pretty decent one with little trouble.

For weeks, Pittsburgh Power has been advertising season tickets for these sporting events, but I’m here to tell you don’t bother spending money on those. It’s fun to attend a game or two on a weekend, but I don’t think this whole arena football thing will be very successful in the city of champions.

The Difference Between Regulation Football and Arena Football

Although arena football operates under most of the traditional football regulations, some aspects change to accommodate the smaller spaces.

The field itself measures only 50 yards and the field goal area is reduced to nine feet wide.

There also appear to be no sidelines—that is, players remain in bounds unless they topple over the foam sideboards or are shoved into the wall by opponents.

In arena football, there is no punting on the third down; rather, the team must go for it. No exceptions.

During overtime, the clock is reset to 15 minutes. Each team has one opportunity for possession. At the end of these two possessions, if one team has scored, there is a victory; if neither team scores, they move on to sudden death overtime.

In arena football, only eight members of each team are on the field at a time.

Pittsburgh Power

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 11